On the tee with Verle

June 25, 2005|By VERLE FRITZ, Daily American Correspondent

Being a member of the media covering the 66th Senior PGA Championship at Laurel Valley Golf Club was an enjoyable experience for me. I not only was able to see many of the legends of golf in action up close and personal, but I also had the opportunity to communicate with other media personalities and interesting golf fans. The Rev. Harry Sherry, retired Methodist minister, had the pleasant experience of spending some time with golf legend Gary Player, which I reported in an earlier column. Rev. Sherry also said he had the pleasure of meeting Mike Reid, the winner of this year's Senior PGA Championship. Sherry was able to get an autograph from Reid, who Sherry described as a very nice guy.

I had the good fortune to catch a ride on a golf cart driven by Thomas Bigley of Fox Chapel, who is a member of the senior PGA championship committee. His official duties included serving as vice chairman of administration, which placed him in charge of the following committees: admission, finance, volunteer services, media and hospitality.

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An Ernst and Young Accounting Firm retiree, Bigley was very gracious and pleasant to talk informally with as he drove me around the 260 glorious acres of Laurel Valley Golf Club, nestled here in the Laurel Highlands between Laurel Ridge Mountain and Chestnut Ridge Mountain. We enjoyed watching many of the legends of golf playing one of the finest courses that has become nationally ranked, attracting the 1965 PGA Championship, 1975 Ryder Cup matches and 1989 U.S. Senior Open.

At No. 18 green, while I was waiting for Gary Player and Arnold Palmer to finish playing the second round of the tournament, I was greeted by Thomas J. Beeler Sr., PGA Professional, who was announcing the players.

I first learned to know Beeler back in 1991, when he was a golf professional at the Golf Club at Hidden Valley. While there, Beeler was named "merchandiser of the year" in 1995 by the Tri-State PGA Association.

Beeler also served as head coach of the Somerset High School golf team for four years, compiling a 31-7 record. At Somerset, his teams won two conference championships and an unprecedented district title as Beeler was named "coach of the year" two seasons in a row.

Beeler honed his golf game at Seven Springs Golf Course near his hometown of Elizabeth, where he now lives, and at Bill's Golfland on Route 51.

Beeler now has his own company. It is called TJB Golf Entertainment. He does trick shot shows and clinics all across the country for a couple corporate clients. He also works for Titleist and FootJoy worldwide selling Cobra equipment.

Beeler also teaches golf at Bill's Golfland. He sells Scorecast Tournament software and he works for Prudential selling real estate.

When I was leaving, Beeler, who does trick shots, jokingly said, "I'll meet you at the Somerset Country Club and we'll take a picture of you. I'll hit a golf ball out of your mouth and then you can put it in the paper."

I'm sure that some area golfers still remember that during the winter of 1992-93, when Beeler opened an Indoor Golf Training Center at The Sports Club at Hidden Valley. The facility featured a two-person hitting station, muscle training devices and instructional aids that helped golfers to develop a smooth, powerful swing.

There was also a machine that measured clubhead speed, angle of approach, squareness of clubhead impact, flight of the ball and carry distance.

A camera recorded swings at speeds up to 1/10,000th of a second. When replayed in slow motion on the VCR, the golfer could see all of his or her strengths or weaknesses.

I spent that winter taking a lesson a week and I discovered that Beeler was an excellent teacher. The lessons I learned from him helped me to be on the Somerset County Senior Championship teams of 1994, 1995 and 1996. Unfortunately, the Senior Championship playoffs haven't been played in recent years. However, Tom Kerila, who directs senior men's golf scrambles at Northwinds Golf Course, has expressed interest in getting these senior playoffs started again. Let me know if you are interested.